Aru Shah and the City of Gold - Roshani Chokshi Page 0,24

“Lanka.”

The moment he said the word, the air turned stifling hot. Carefully, the five of them approached the foot of the mongoose statues. Up close, the figures were at least twice Aru’s height. Each mongoose had one palm up, with a sphere balanced in the center, and between the two statues levitated a basket. A strange glow reflected off the animals’ metal teeth, making them look even sharper than they already were.

“I thought mongooses—wait, is it mongeese?—were supposed to be cute,” said Aru. “These things look deadly.”

“Makes sense,” said Aiden. “They can kill cobras.”

“Cobras?” Mini moved closer to Aru and scanned the ground. “No one said anything about Lanka having cobras.”

“You got through Naga-Loka, and this whole time you’ve been afraid of them?” asked Brynne.

“Well, nagas are only half snake—”

“Is that actually better?” asked Aru. “Or is it like being scared of worms in apples and then biting into an apple and finding only half a worm?”

Mini gagged. “Ingesting insects through unwashed produce can lead to arsenic or lead poisoning, and if you do that, then—”

“You’ll die?” said Aru and Brynne at the same time.

Mini huffed.

Aru looked up at the statues and studied the spheres in their paws. One ball appeared to be solid gold, the other solid lead. Beyond the ring of statues, shadows roiled around them. A smell that Aru couldn’t identify seeped into the air. Like hot metal…or blood.

“Sheela’s prophecy said that Not everything that glitters is gold / The truth will lead to the Lanka road,” said Aru slowly. “My guess is we have to throw the real golden ball into the basket. Aiden said Lord Kubera is pretty tricky, though, so he’s probably put an enchantment on them. Mini?”

Mini opened her compact, which could always see through illusions. She examined the statues’ reflections in the mirror and then pointed at the golden sphere on the right.

“Looks like that one’s the fake,” she said. “Beneath the gold is lead, and inside the lead sphere is gold, so—”

Kara, who had been quiet, raised Sunny. When its light fell over the statues, her eyes took on a curious golden sheen. Brynne strolled forward and reached for the lead ball…but Kara blocked her with a thrust of the trident. “No!” she said sharply. “Don’t!”

“Are you seriously pointing a weapon at me?” demanded Brynne, turning around.

“Don’t touch that one!” said Kara. “The golden ball is the true one.”

Mini looked annoyed. “My compact is never wrong—”

“But can it see through more than one layer of illusion?” asked Kara.

Brynne batted away the trident and reached once more for the lead ball.

Panic flitted across Kara’s face. She bit her lip and swung out the trident again. “I’m serious!” she said.

Brynne whirled around, her wind mace up and aimed at Kara. “Who do you think you are?”

“I’m just trying to help!” said Kara.

The atmosphere between them felt charged. Mini’s violet compact lengthened to a danda, and Vajra, still in spear form, was growing frantic.

“Let’s take this down a notch,” said Aiden, holding up his hands. “Kara, I really think—”

“I don’t know how I know, but I know I’m right. Please believe me!” Kara turned to Aru. “You trust me, don’t you?”

Trust.

The word needled Aru’s heart. Ever since they’d met, Aru couldn’t help but trust Kara, and she didn’t understand why. Kara seemed like a truer daughter of the Sleeper than Aru was. There was so much about her half sister that Aru didn’t know, so much that maybe Kara didn’t even know herself. But Aru hated that Kara could tell she believed her.

Brynne stared at Aru, something wary sneaking into her gaze, and Aru’s stomach knotted with guilt. Aru looked at Mini, who seemed confused, and then Aiden, whose face betrayed nothing. Her pulse started to race. Did all of them think she was the untrue sister from the prophecy? Had she confirmed their suspicions by bringing Kara along? A nightmare from long ago flashed across Aru’s mind. She could see herself raising her weapon at her own sisters. She saw the hate in their eyes….

All of Aru’s carefully held down fury roared up inside her.

“Trust you?” spat Aru. “You do realize you’re only here because you insisted on coming? You still haven’t told us what weapon the Sleeper is after. I’m beginning to think you made it all up!”

Kara looked as if she’d been struck. “What?”

“I’ve had enough of this,” said Aru.

She turned Vajra into a hoverboard and rose to haul the sphere out of the left mongoose’s hand. The lead ball was